The NCAA’s revised gender eligibility policy has faced criticism from women’s rights advocates due to perceived loopholes that may permit biological males to compete in women’s sports. On February 7, the NCAA updated its policy to align with President Donald Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order, signed on February 6. This new policy reversed a 2010 guideline that allowed transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. It now states that “a student-athlete assigned male at birth may practice on an NCAA women’s team and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes.”
Critics argue that the policy fails to establish sufficient barriers to protect female athletes at the collegiate level. A primary concern is that it allows transgender athletes to circumvent restrictions by altering the gender on their birth certificates. In the U.S., 44 states permit changes to birth certificates to reflect a person’s gender identity, with only Florida, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Montana prohibiting such changes. Additionally, 14 states, including California, New York, Massachusetts, and Michigan, allow modifications without requiring medical documentation.
Kim Jones, co-founder of the Independent Council for Women’s Sports, expressed her concerns, stating, “It offers no protection for women, doesn’t follow federal law, and removes all NCAA accountability. It explicitly allows men on women’s teams and defines levels of participation based on changeable birth certificates. There is nothing in this policy keeping men out of women’s sports. Women need a policy that defines women’s sports exclusively for women and upholds screening with NCAA accountability.”
Jennifer Sey, a former U.S. gymnast and founder of XX-XY Athletics, echoed these concerns, emphasizing that the policy lacks clear boundaries to maintain the integrity of women’s sports. She noted that the only requirement to prove female identity is a birth certificate, which can be easily altered.
